Fantasy Football Daily Notes: Brian Robinson breaks out, James Conner to sit, Raheem Mostert to play
Read ESPN’s fantasy football Daily Notes every weekday to stay caught up on the news you need to know and get a head start on the fantasy football content coming today and tomorrow to ESPN.com and the ESPN Fantasy App.
The news: Commanders RB Brian Robinson finished with 60 rushing yards and a touchdown on 17 attempts.
What it means in fantasy: Robinson was named the starter Thursday afternoon. He played 47% of the offensive snaps while Antonio Gibson played 28%. Despite a spike leading up to Thursday night’s game, Robinson is still available in 52.3% of ESPN leagues. This performance makes me think I’ll write about Robinson again for next week’s waiver wire.
The news: Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network reported that Cardinals RB James Conner is expected to miss Sunday’s game against the Seahawks with a rib injury.
What it means in fantasy: Conner may also miss additional time, according to Wilson. Darrel Williams, the Cardinals’ backup running back, is expected to miss the game because of a knee injury, and Jonathan Ward, who injured a hamstring, has been placed on injured reserve by the Arizona Cardinals. Eno Benjamin is expected to fill the void left by Conner. He accumulated 53 total yards and a touchdown on 11 touches against the Eagles last week. The Seahawks defense has allowed 170.2 rushing yards per game.
The news: Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert returned to practice on Thursday.
What it means in fantasy: Mostert is dealing with a knee injury but mentioned to the media that he’s playing Sunday. Over the past two weeks, Mostert has 36 touches, including breakaway runs of 24 and 25 yards. Mostert’s tackle breaking ability is unmatched in the Dolphins backfield. He’s firmly on the RB2 radar against the Vikings.
Need a boom-or-bust candidate for your critical fantasy football matchup? Here are some suggestions:
Get-right game for Aaron Rodgers against the Jets? Not so fast. His chance to bust for a second time this season (under 10.5 points this week) is higher (25%) than his chance to boom (22%).
Kenneth Walker III was the popular add of the week and he carries a wide range of outcomes. He has a 27% chance to disappoint you and bust with under 6.3 points, but he also boasts a 26% boom rate (over 15 points). How lucky do you feel?
Does DJ Moore get off the mat with a new QB? It’s possible, as he carries a 27% boom rate (23-plus points) into this matchup against the Rams.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling has yet to boom, but he did see a season-high eight targets last week against the Raiders and carries a 13% boom rate this week against the Bills (over 21.5 points).
Despite already having two boom weeks on his ledger, Evan Engram remains widely available. The TE position is brutal these days, so his 25% boom rate (over 11.5 points) is more than worth a look — if you’re streaming the position.
The news: Saints WRs Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry did not practice on Thursday.
What it means in fantasy: Thomas has a foot injury and Landry has an ankle injury. Both players missed Week 5’s matchup against the Seahawks, and both are on a similar path for Week 6. QB Jameis Winston returned to the field Wednesday but was limited. Back and ankle injuries have kept the quarterback out of the last two games. WR Chris Olave was also present at the portion of practice open to the media on Thursday. The wide receiver appears to be on track to clear the league’s concussion protocol. Olave can be viewed as a WR2 against the Seahawks, having averaged 9.7 targets over the past four games.
The news: Ravens WR Rashod Bateman was still sidelined at Thursday’s practice.
What it means in fantasy: Bateman is dealing with a foot injury. After suffering a foot injury midway through the Buffalo Bills game in Week 4, he missed Sunday’s game against the Bengals. Bateman has not practiced since. It was a solid performance from WR Devin Duvernay and others against Cincinnati, but the Ravens are hoping Bateman can return soon as they lack depth at wide receiver. If Bateman is out, Duvernay, who saw seven targets against the Bengals, should be on the flex radar in deeper leagues.
The news: Chargers WR Keenan Allen was limited in Thursday’s practice.
What it means in fantasy: Allen has not practiced or played since Week 1 because a hamstring injury. This is an encouraging sign. Since the Chargers won’t play the Broncos until Monday night, they didn’t have to issue an injury report until Thursday. Allen was the WR12 this summer according to our draft trends. Between 2017 and 2021, he averaged 16.7 fantasy points per game. In 2022, Allen has missed more games than he did from 2017 to 2021 combined.
The news: Cowboys QB Dak Prescott was limited in Thursday’s practice.
What it means in fantasy: Prescott practiced for the first time since suffering a thumb injury in Week 1. After throwing passes to receivers on Wednesday, this news comes a day later. Cooper Rush, who has gone 4-0 in place of Prescott, will most likely start against the Eagles on Sunday night, but Prescott is now one step closer to returning and significantly raising the fantasy ceilings of Dallas’ receivers. Pick up Michael Gallup; he’s still available in 48.7% of ESPN leagues.
The news: Giants WR Wan’Dale Robinson was limited in Thursday’s practice.
What it means in fantasy: Robinson has yet to be fully involved in the Giants offense following his MCL sprain in Week 1. The Giants currently have Darius Slayton, Richie James, David Sills, and Marcus Johnson as their top receivers, so Robinson’s return would be huge for New York’s offense. With his agility and ability to create yards after the catch, Robinson would be an ideal fit for Jones’ short-to-intermediate throws. He could see a ton of targets against the Ravens if healthy. He’s still available in 94% of leagues.
Going deeper: Robinson’s versatility could be leveraged by the Giants, whether on vertical routes or the screen game. He rushed 141 times for 691 yards and caught 185 passes for 2,248 yards during his collegiate career at Kentucky.
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